Calendar mechanism



Nov. 30, 1965 JEAN-Louis MULLER ETAL 3,220,134

CALENDAR MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1961 ..lll|| Nov. 30, 1965 JEAN-Louis MULLER ETAL 3,220,134

CALENDAR MECHANISM Filed March 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III United States Patent 3,220,134 CALENDAR MECHANESM Jean-Louis Muller, La Haute-Vue, La Neuveviile, Switzerland, and `lean-Pierre Beguin, Ch. des Fleoles 4, Bienne, Switzerland Filed Mar. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 98,163 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Mar. 25, 1960, 3,353/60; July 15, 1960, 8,110/60 8 Claims. (Cl. 40-335) This invention relates to calendar mechanisms and in particular to calendar mechanisms adapted for use with articles of common use, such as stylographs, pencil cases and similar writing instruments, lighters, torches, lipsticks, etc.

The calendar mechanisms of this type which are known in the art usually comprise a first indicator mounted for rotary and for axial motion within a housing, said first indicator carrying the figures l to 3l arranged on an outer cylindrical surface along a helical line so as to appear after one another in a window provided in said housing and to indicate the successive days of the month upon a rotation of said first indicator in one direction, a second indicator normally xedfor rotary motion to said first indicator, said second indicator carrying initials referring to the days of the week, and a control member to actuate both indicators in synchronism. With these known mechanisms the figures indicating the day of the month successively appear in a window opposite the indication relating to the day of the week. By actuating said control member through a seventh of a whole revolution each day, the calendar can be held up to date during a whole month.

The means provided in these known mechanisms to ydrive both indicators in synchronism are however, not arranged in such a manner as to enable easily adjusting the calendar when passing from one month to the next one. For this purpose some known calendar mechanisms of the above-mentioned type even require completely disassembling their control means.

Calendar mechanisms for stylographs, pencil cases and similar writing instruments, which are also known in the art, are arranged so that one of said indicators, for instance that of the days of the week, can be unclutched from the other indicator by shifting it axially against the action of spring means. In these known calendar mechanisms the two indicators are, however, not arranged for rotating simultaneously. On the contrary, the indicator of the month day is stationary and the thirty-one figures carried by this indicator are arranged in seven columns on an outer surface thereof which is visible in its entirety. The sole control operation to carry out for keeping the calendar up-to-date is to place, at the beginning of every month, t-he seven indications or initials of the week day indicator at the tops of the proper columns of the month day indicator. With respect to the mechanisms of the first kind mentioned above, the mechanisms with a stationary month day indicator the thirty-one figures of which are all visible at the same time have, however, the drawback that they do not actually indicate the date immediately. The latter has to be looked for in the right column and at the right place thus involving the risk of mistakes.

Calendar mechanisms of the first type mentioned above and arranged, on the one hand, so that there always appears only one figure at once of the month day indicator to indicate the exact date, and on the other hand, so that both indicators can be reset with respect to one another at the end of the month without disassembling the mechanism, are also known in the art. These known mechanisms are, however, provided with two separate ice control members to actuate the indicators, one of said control members driving both indicators simultaneously during one and the same month, and the other control member being arranged so as to drive :only one indicator at the end of the month, thus permitting to set the week day indicator with respect to the month day indicator for the next month. The known calendar mechanisms with two control members are, however, so intricated that they cannot be mounted on a writing instrument or on another article of common use, such as a lighter, a torch or a lipstick. Moreover, these known calendar mechanisms have also the drawback that the wrong control member can first be actuated when it is intended to perform a particular operation.

One object of this inveniton therefore is to provide a calendar mechanism of the first type mentioned above, in which one and the same control member enables, by means of a first controlling operation, to drive both indicators of the calendar simultaneously during a whole month, and, by means of another controlling operation, to unclutcli said indicators from one another, when they have to be reset, for instance, at the passage from one month to the next one.

Another object of the invention is to provide a calendar mechanism of the above-mentioned type with clutch means inserted between both indicators and arranged so as to be rendered in-openative upon actuation of the control member lof the calendar mechanism, one of said indicators thereby always remaining `operatively connected to the control member to be driven alone, when said clutch means do no more connect b-oth indicators to one another.

Further `objects of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description.

Two embodiments of the calendar mechanism according t-o the invention are represented by way of example in the annexed drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the` first embodiment with some parts broken away and other parts in section,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the upper portion of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a part sectional and a part elevational View on a larger scale of said upper portion,

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view on an even larger scale along line IV--IV yof FIG. l,

FIG. 5 is a part axial section of the second embodiment, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view on a larger scale of some parts of FIG. 5.

The calendar mechanisms represented in the drawings, are mounted on stylographs each comprising a usual housing in which a retractile cartridge is mounted. This cartridge can be moved from its retracted position toward its writing position and vice versa by means of a standard mechanism well known in the art, said mechanism being controlled by a pusher rod 12 protruding from the upper end of the stylograph.

The stylograph housing represented in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises an upper cap member 1 and a lower body member 15 screwed into one another. A tubular guiding member 2 is located within cap member 1. At its lower end the guiding member 2 is provided with an annular flange 8 firmly gripped between members 1 and 15 when these members are screwed into one another.

Instead of screwing cap member 1 on a screw-threaded protruding portion of body member 15, a threaded end piece could also be set with force fit at the lower end of cap member 1, for screwing said cap member into a tapped upper portion of body member 15. In this case guiding member 2 would advantageously be made integral with said end piece of cap member 1.

The upper and larger cylindrical portion of guiding member 2 is provided with a helical groove 3 of rectangular cross-section. A cylindrical drum carrying a helical thread 4 on its inner face is set on to guiding member 20. The thread di corresponds to groove 3 so that drum 5 moves in axial direction upon driving it in rotation around its axis, thus engaging a more or less important portion of guiding member 2. On its outer face drum 5 carries the a'igures from f1 to 31. These figures are engraved or transferred so as to lie along a helical line having a pitch equal to those both of groove 3 and thread 4. A window 19 (FIG. 2) provided in cap member 1 and carrying a vmagnifying lens 20 enables observing the indications carried by drum 5 a'fter one another.

To drive drum 5 in rotation, so that its indications successively appear in window 19, a driving sleeve 9 is set around the pusher rod 12. The sleeve 9 is mounted for rotary motion within cap member 1 and it extends from the top of guiding member 2, on which it is bearing, upwards and beyond the upper end of cap member 1. This sleeve 9 is provided with an annular rim 10 bearing on an inner shoulder of cap member 1. Sleeve 9 is thus held in a well determined axial position with respect to housing (1, 15). Seven notches 14 (FIG. 3) regularly staggered around the axis of sleeve 9 are provided in a portion of the latter which is extending above the peripheral rim 10 thereof. A second drum 11 carrying the initials of the names of the week days regularly arranged around its periphery, is set on the upper end of sleeve 9 protruding from cap member 1. A radially extending finger 13 is fixed on drum 11 so as to engage either one of the seven notches 14 and to provide for clutching said drum to sleeve 9.

To keep drum 11 normally clutched to sleeve 9, i.e. to keep linger 13 normally in one and the same notch 14, a coil spring 17 is inserted between a Washer 16 screwed on to the upper end portion of sleeve 9 and an inner shoulder of drum 11, thus urging the latter downwards and pressing it on to the upper end of cap member 1.

Finally sleeve 9 carries an axially extending key bolt 1S engaging a corresponding groove 6 provided across the helical thread 4 of drum 5 (FIG. 4). When drum 11 is driven in rotation sleeve 9 and drum 5 are thus rotating therewith.

The outer cylindrical face of drum 5 is provided with seven axially extending grooves 7 regularly staggered around drum 5. A middle bent portion 23 provided on an arcuate spring wire 22 located in an axially extending lodging 21 of cap member 1 may engage either one of the seven grooves 7 to hold drum 5 in such predetremined positions that one iigure carried by said drum each time appears exactly opposite window 19.

The calendar mechanism described above is most easily to handle. By driving drum 11 in rotation, the thirty-one figures carried by drum 5 successively appear behind lens 20. To set said calendar mechanism, the figure corresponding to the present month day is rst brought opposite window 19 by merely rotating drum 11 in the proper direction. If the initial referring to the week day, which then appears on drum 11 opposite window 19 does not correspond to the present week day, the drum 11 is pulled against the action of spring 17 until iinger 13 is completely disengaged from notch 14 and then rotated alone until the right initial comes opposite window 19. Drum 11 can then be released. At that moment, linger 13 lies in another notch 14. The same setting operation can be performed at every passage from lone month to the next one carried thereby always appear in the center of window 19, seven axially extending grooves could also be provided in the inner wall of cap member 1 and a split steel ring `lixed in an annular groove of drum 5, said ring having one end portion rigidly secured to said drum within said groove and its other end portion formed with a small eyelet projecting from the cylindrical surface of drum 5 thus engaging either one of the seven axial grooves of the cap member.

The second embodiment of the calendar mechanism according to the invention, which is represented in FIGS. 5 and 6, is also mounted on a stylograph comprising a lower body member 15a and a cap member 1a screwed into one another. A center pusher rod 12 enables controlling a retractile cartridge (not shown) in the usual manner. The indications relating to the month days and which are provided on the outer cylindrical surface of drum 5a appear in a window 19 provided in the wall of cap mem- Vber 1a. The drum 5a extends Within cap member 1a and a helical screw tap 3a is provided in its inner face. The tapped portion 3a engages a corresponding screw thread 4a provided on the outer surface of the upper portion of a stationary guiding member 2a being in fixed relationship with cap member 1a. This guiding member 2a is secured to cap member 1a by means of its bearing surface 24 which is set with force t into the lower end portion of cap member 1a.

The lower end portion (not shown) of guiding member 2a protrudes from cap member 1a and is provided with a screw thread screwed into a tapped portion of the lower body member 15a of the stylograph. The threaded portion of guiding member 2a thus enables disassembling the cap member 1a from the body member 15a to replace, for instance, the cartridge of the stylograph when the ink is exhausted.

A drum element 11a arranged outside the cap member 1a carries on its outer surface the initials relating to the days of the week. Element 11a forms part of a piece having an upper serrate portion 11b constituting a control member. The serrate portion 11b can indeed very easily be gripped and actuated in rotation as Well as in axial direction.

A clutching sleeve 25 has also a serrate portion at its upper end, said portion being set With force t into piece (11a, 11b). To provide for a good connection between piece (11a, 11b) and sleeve 25, in particular as regards r-otary motion, the grooves of the upper serrate portion of sleeve 25 extend in axial direction. An annular outer rim 26 is formed at the lower end of sleeve 25 and a tooth 27 extends downward in axial direction from the lower face of rim 26. Tooth 27 normally engages one of seven notches 28 provided in the upper portion of a driving sleeve 29 freely arranged, like sleeve 25, around the pusher rod 12. The lower end of face of sleeve 29 bears against the upper end face of the guiding member 2a provided lwith thread 4a. Below notches 28 sleeve 29 is provided with a flange 30 arranged so as to bear against an inner shoulder of cap member 1a. Sleeve 29 is thus held in a well-determined axial position between the two abutting faces constituted by said shoulder of cap member 1a and the upper end face of guiding member 2a. This sleeve 29 can, however, freely rotate about its axis. A ring 32 provided with a tooth 31 extending inward in a radial direction, is set in drum 5a so as to engage a groove 33 extending in an axial direction and provided in the outer surface of sleeve 29. Tooth 31 and groove 33 form a rigid connection between drum 5a and sleeve 29, as regards rotary motion, whichever the axial position of drum 5a, with respect to guiding member 2a may be.

Piece (11a, 11b) and clutching sleeve 25 secured thereto, can be moved in axial direction against the action of a coil spring 17a located around sleeve 25 and compressed between rim 26 and the lower end face of a sleeve 34 set with force it into the upper end portion of cap member 1a. The upper end portion of sleeve 34 forms a liange 36 which iirmly holds the annular portion of a clip 35 within a lodging formed in the upper end portion of cap member 1a.

The spring 17a normally holds sleeves 25 and 29 in clutched condition, so as to transmit a rotary motion exerted on control member 11b simultaneously to drums 11a and Sa. If the control member 11b is, however, pulled axially against the action of spring 17a, the tooth 27 is removed from notch 28 it was engaging, thus enabling drum 11a to rotate alone.

Seven conical depressions 37 are provided in the upper vface of ange 36. These depressions are regularly staggered at the periphery of member 34. A at ring 38 is furthermore rigidly fixed to piece (11a, 11b) and seven hemispherical projections 39 protrude from the lower face of ring 38. The projections 39, which can be stamped out of ring 38, have a height smaller than the length of tooth 27. Their arrangement corresponds to that of the depressions 37. Finally, ring 38 extends immediately over rim 36 and is normally pressed thereon by spring 17a.

The projections 39 and the corresponding depressions 37 provide for a ratchet mechanism by means of which drum 11a can be set and normally held in seven different positions around its axis, which are well determined with respect to cap member 1a. In these seven positions drum 5a is also held in well determined angular and axial positions in each of which one of its indications exactly appears in the center of window 19. T o move drum 11a -from one of its predetermined resting positions to the next one, the control member 11b needs only be rotated with a force suiiicient to disengage projections 39 from depressions 37. During this motion piece (11a, 11b) together with ring 38 and sleeve 25 also moves in an axial direction against the action of spring 17a so as to enable the projections 39 to move out of depressions 37. This axial motion of sleeve 25 rigidly secured to piece (11a, 11b) does, however, not exceed the height of projections 39. Since the height of these projections is smaller than the length of tooth 27, sleeves 25 and 29 remain clutched to one another.

The calendar mechanism of FIGS. 5 and 6 moreover functions exactly in the same manner as the mechanism represented in FIGS. 1 to 4.

Instead of arranging the calendar mechanisms described above in a stylograph, they could also be mounted in a pencil case. Further embodiments of the invention could also be mounted in other articles of common use, such as lighters, lipsticks, paper weights, torches, etc.

The spring means 17, 17a, respectively, provided in the calendar mechanisms described above, safely hold both indicators of said mechanisms in clutched condition so that no derangement can occur. If the drum indicating the week days is inadvertently actuated in rotation or if one does not remember to have moved it one step forward, during the present day, the right indication can nevertheless be re-established by merely checking the week day indication appearing opposite Window 19. If this week day indication does not correspond to the present date, drums 11, 11a, respectively, need only be rotated until the exact Week day indication appears opposite window 19, thus automatically causing the present month day indication to appear in window 19.

Moreover, supposing now that the present day is a Monday, the 12th, as indicated in FIG. 2. The calendar mechanisms described above enable easily and quickly determining which was the month day, for instance of the preceding Thursday, or which month day will be the next Friday, by merely rotating drum 11, in the first instance to the left, until the indication T (Thursday) appears opposite window 19, and, in the second instance, to the right, until the indication F (Friday) appears opposite said window. The calendar mechanisms described similarly permit to determine the week day corresponding to a particular month day of the same month. When the calendar mechanism is mounted in the cap member of a stylograph, these operations can be performed with one 6 hand, which can be very useful in particular during a telephone call.

These possibilities are due, on the one hand, to the fact that both drums (5 and 11, 5a and 11a) remain in clutched condition as long as the second one is only actuated in rotation, and on the other hand, to the fact that they can indifierently be actuated in both directions.

The calendar mechanism represented in FIGS. 5 and 6, has even a further advantage which is due to the fact that the ratchet mechanism provided for holding both drums in their predetermined positions comprises a spring 17a which also keeps both sleeves 25 and 29 normally in clutched condition. The manufacture of the calendar mechanism is indeed simplified thereby.

Although two embodiments and some modifications thereof have been described -in detail hereabove, it will be understood that still further modifications of our invention will appear obvious to those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A calendar indicating the present month day in a fixed window and the corresponding week day opposite said window, and comprising a month day indicator carrying the month day indications successively appearing in the window, a Week day indicator carrying the week day indications successively appearing opposite the Window, clutching means between said month day and said week day indicators comprising a clutch member movable from a clutched position, in which said indicators move together, into an unclutched position in which one of said indicators can move alone and vice versa, and a control member operatively connected to said clutch member to move it from its clutched to its unclutched position and vice versa and with said one indicator to move it alone when said clutch member is in its unclutched position and to move both indicators together when said clutch member is in its clutched position.

2. A calendar to indicate the present month day in a fixed window and the corresponding week day opposite said window, comprising a month day indicator carrying the month day indications successively appearing in the window upon a rotary drive exerted on said month day indicator, a week day indicator carrying the Week day indications successively appearing opposite the window upon a rotary drive exerted on said week day indicator, clutching means between said month day and said week day indicators comprising a clutch member movable in axial direction from a clutched position in which said indicators rotate together into an unclutched position in which one of said indicators can rotate alone and vice versa, and a control member mounted for rotary and for axial motion and connected both to said clutch member to move it axially from its clutched to its unclutched position and vice versa and with said one indicator to rotate it alone when said clutch member is in its unclutched position and to rotate both indicators together when said clutch member is in its clutched position.

3. A calendar mechanism as claimed in claim 2, said control member being integrally fixed to said week day indicator.

4. A calendar mechanism as claimed in claim 2, further comprising spring means acting in axial direction on said clutch member to keep the latter normally in clutched position.

5. A calendar indicating the present month day in a fixed Window and the corresponding week day opposite said window, and comprising a month day indicator carrying the month day indications successively appearing in the Window upon a rotary drive exerted on said month day indicator, a week day indicator carrying the week day indications successively appearing opposite the window upon a rotary drive exerted on said week day indicator, clutching means between said month day and said week day indicators comprising a clutch member to connect said indicators to one another and to ensure both indicators to rotate together upon a rotary drive exerted on one of said indicators, said clutch member being movable in axial direction through a predetermined distance to disconnect said indicators from one another thereby enabling to rotate one of said indicators alone, spring means normally holding said clutch member in clutched position, a control member mounted for rotary and for axial motion and xed both to said clutch member to move it axially against the action of said spring means and to one of said indicators to rotate it alone when said indicators are disconnected from one another and to rotate both indicators together when said clutch member is in clutched position, and a ratchet mechanism to hold said indicators in predetermined positions in which an indication of said month day indicator appears in the center of the lixed Window and an indication of said week day indicator appears opposite said window, said ratchet mechanism comprising a fixed member provided with ratching means extending in axial direction and a movable member connected to one of said indicators, to said control member and to said clutch member, said movable member being also provided with ratching means extending in axial direction and meshing with the ratching means of said xed member to hold said indicators in said predetermined positions and to enable rotating them from one of said predetermined position to the next one, said movable member and said clutch member thereby moving in axial direction under the action of said ratching means through a distance smaller than said predetermined distance and said spring means normally keeping said ratching means in meshing condition.

6. A calendar as claimed in claim 5, said movable member of the ratchet mechanism consisting of a ring xed to said week day indicator, said ring being provided with projections regularly staggered around the axis of said ring and extending axially from its lower face, and

said fixed member being formed with depressions corre- 4 sponding to said projections.

7. A calendar as claimed in claim 6, said clutch member being fixed to said Week day indicator and carrying an axially extending tooth having a length greater than the height of the projections or" the movable member of said ratchet mechanism, and said clutch means further comprising a driving member provided with notches each capable of being engaged by said tooth.

8. A calendar comprising month day indications arranged so as to become successively apparent one at a time, week day indications arranged so as to enable positioning either one of them 'opposite the presently appearing month day indication, clutch means including a member movable from a clutched position, in which it associates the month day and the Week day indications together so as to keep always the correct Week day indication positioned opposite the month day indication during a Whole month, to an unclutched position, in which it enables adjusting one of said day indications with respect to the other day indications, and vice versa, and control means comprising a manually operable member operatively connected to the movable member of said clutch means and arranged both for causing said month day indications to become successively apparent and each of said week day indications to be positioned successively opposite the corresponding month day indication, when the movable member of said clutch means is in clutched position, and for bringing said movable member in unclutched position so as to enable positioning another Week day indication opposite a predetermined month day indication.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,600,099 9/1926 DeIongh 40-335 1,692,392 11/1928 Stevenson 40-111 2,032,547 3/1936 Meade 40-111 2,329,631 9/1943 Lipic 40-335 2,567,395 9/1951 Peterson 40-111 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, JEROME SCHNALL,

Examiners. 

1. A CALENDAR INDICATING THE PRESENT MONTH DAY IN A FIXED WINDOW AND THE CORRESPONDING WEEK DAY OPPOSITE SAID WINDOW, AND COMPRISING A MONTH DAY INDICATOR CARRYING THE MONTH, INDICATIONS SUCCESSIVELY APPEARING THE WINDOW, A WEEK DAY INDICATOR CARRYING THE WEEK DAY INDICATIONS SUCCESSIVELY APPEARING OPPOSITE THE WINDOW, CLUTCHING MEANS BETWEEN SAID MONTH DAY AND SAID WEEK DAY INDICATORS COMPRISING A CLUTCH MEMBER MOVABLE FROM A CLUTCHED POSITION, IN WHICH SAID INDICATOR MOVE TOGETHER, INTO AN UBCLUTCHED POTION IN WHICH ONE OF SAID INDICATORS CAN MOVE ALONE AND VICE VERSA, AND A CONTROL MEMBER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CLUTCH MEMBER TO MOVE IT FROM ITS CLUTCHED TO ITS UNCLUTCHED POSITION AND VICE VERSA AND WITH SAID ONE INDICATOR TO MOVE IT ALONE WHEN SAID CLUTCH MEMBER IS IN 